“Coronation Street star Jane Hazlegrove shares details of her 10-year marriage to wife Isobel Middleton as her character Bernie Winter gets ready for a tumultuous wedding to Dev Alahan.”
Even after meeting the love of her life, Coronation Street star Jane Hazlegrove never imagined she would have the chance to walk down the aisle.
Jane’s romance with fellow actress Isobel Middleton began after a chance encounter thirty years ago. At the time, same-sex marriages were not legal in the UK, making the idea of their own wedding feel like a distant dream.
The couple marked their 10th wedding anniversary last year, a milestone Jane admits she never thought she would reach in her younger years.
“I’ve always loved weddings, but I never imagined having my own big celebration, surrounded by all the people I love and filled with laughter,” she says.
“It was a wonderful experience and a bit surprising. I still can’t believe it happened. I’m so proud we made it happen, and so proud of my love for Isobel. It’s my greatest achievement, even beyond my career.”
“I still can’t believe I’m able to love this woman and live my life without being persecuted. Of course, homophobia still exists, but I just smile at the ignorant and try to educate them, leading by example,” Jane explains.
Jane joined the Coronation Street cast in 2019 as the whirlwind Bernie Winter, mother to twins Gemma and Paul.
As she celebrated her own marriage milestone in real life, Jane watched another wedding unfold on screen, as Bernie prepared to marry corner shop owner Dev Alahan. In the world of soaps, weddings rarely go off without a hitch—and Bernie and Dev’s big day was no exception, leaving viewers wondering if they would actually make it down the aisle.
First, Bernie’s grandchildren—the quads—fell ill and had to watch the ceremony via live stream with their brother Joseph. Then, Bernie forgot her lucky locket and, while rushing back from the bistro to retrieve it, ran into a burglar.
“Everything that could go wrong does,” Jane laughs. “The quads can’t attend, and then at the wedding she develops an allergy and collapses. It’s serious—she can’t breathe and ends up being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.”
Jane, a Manchester native, began her acting career at a young age, making her television debut at just 13 in the Yorkshire TV series The Book Tower, according to the Mirror.
At 16, she joined Coronation Street as teenager Sue Clayton, staying on the show for a year. Since then, she has appeared in numerous TV series, most notably Casualty, where she spent eight years playing paramedic Kathleen Dixon. She was thrilled to return to the cobbles 34 years later as the quirky café worker Bernie, a character who has divided viewers due to her questionable parenting of Gemma, Paul, and long-lost son Kit.
Despite Bernie’s flaws, Jane believes her character has been transformed by her relationship with Dev. “Bernie and Dev are total opposites, but he’s incredibly kind to her, and Bernie hasn’t had much kindness from men over the years,” she explains.
“Their relationship isn’t without its challenges. Bernie tends to act impulsively from the heart, and it takes a while for her brain to catch up. Dev, on the other hand, is a deep thinker. On paper, it shouldn’t work—but somehow, it does.”
Now 56, Jane lives in Derbyshire with her wife Isobel, 58, where she enjoys walking in the hills and indulging her passion for vintage cars. “I have a 1969 MGC,” she says with a smile. “She’s lovely—driving her makes me so happy. I’ve had her for 18 years and named her Lulu because Lulu was No. 1 when she rolled off the production line.”
The couple first met in 1995 when Jane starred in the hit play Boom Bang-a-Bang at London’s Bush Theatre. “It was directed by Kathy Burke, and a lot of big names from television came to see it,” she recalls.
“Isobel came one evening, and we ended up having a conversation afterwards.”
In 2010, they made their relationship official with a civil partnership. Jane explains: “Same-sex marriage wasn’t allowed back then, so we chose a civil partnership instead. We celebrated on a boat in Bristol—it was spectacular. I was all dressed up in a lovely outfit.”
Jane adds that the decision was influenced by Isobel’s health struggles. “Isobel had been ill while I was in Bristol working on Casualty, and I wasn’t told about her surgeries or hospital care. I was considered just a friend, even though we had been partners for ten years, because legally they couldn’t share information with me. So, we decided to do the civil partnership thinking, ‘at least no one can interfere.’”
Their wedding ceremony came five years later at a Bristol register office. “Initially, I didn’t want to do it just because the government said we could. I’ve never been one to follow the crowd,” Jane admits.
“So we didn’t tell anyone. We simply went and did it ourselves. All we needed was a gas bill to upgrade the paperwork—really romantic! Afterwards, we invited six friends over for a curry.”
Jane continues to be a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights around the world, firmly believing that gay men and women everywhere deserve the same freedoms and happiness she enjoys. She actively supports All Out, an international campaign organisation dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ equality.
“Gay Pride was banned in Hungary this year,” she says. “Visibility is crucial. There are countless people like me who can’t be with the ones they love because someone has decided it’s unacceptable. That’s simply wrong.”
While Jane has made her mark on Coronation Street, her wife Isobel works across the Pennines on Emmerdale, playing village detective DI Roberts.
Isobel has also stepped onto the cobbles herself, appearing briefly as feminist author Persephone Braxton, who held a book signing at Roy’s Rolls in 2022.
“I thought I’d pop in as her chaperone for the day, but she wouldn’t have it,” Jane laughs. “She was in the café talking to Ken Barlow when a fight broke out after Tracy caught him with his mistress. I wasn’t working that day, which was probably for the best—her character definitely wouldn’t have liked Bernie very much!”
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